Thread: How to get the most out of a stanely plane?

Much cheaper than a new iron is a new cap-iron. A thicker cap-iron can stiffen up your cutting iron and reduce chatter. Lee Valley, Lie-Nielsen and Hock make thicker one-piece cap-irons. Clifton make a thicker two-piece cap-iron. The two-piece works as a hinge and thereby applies pressure on the cutting iron about 1" up the iron (as well as at the cutting edge and at the lateral). The only other advantage of the two-piece is if you're a freehand honer - you can lift of just the 'deflector' for a quick hone. The disadvantage of the two-piece is some people are forever dropping the 'deflector' on the floor to hide amoung the shavings..

Fettling is another thing to do. Remove the frog and clean-up the frog seats. If it's an older USA Stanley, it probably left the factory well fettled. But if it's a more recent UK Stanley it may even have paint on the frog seats. A good fit there helps reduce vibration (chatter).

You really don't need to replace your cutting iron unless it's pitted (from rust) or a very modern one made of cheese. Replacement irons are available from the same people who make the replacement cap-irons (not sure if Lie-Nielsen do anymore - couldn't find them last time I looked on their website). If you use Lie-Nielsen irons (made for their own planes - as opposed to their Stanley replacement range) or Clifton irons, you may have to file the mouth of your plane wider (unless it's a modern UK model), and you will probably also run into trouble with the yoke (Y-lever) which may not be long enough to reach the cap-iron anymore (I had a new Clifton iron surface ground from 3.2mm to 2.75mm to avoid filing the mouth and to avoid trouble with the yoke length).

IBC (IIRC) make a iron/cap-iron combo with additional lugs to avoid the yoke problem.

HTH.

Cheers, Vann.

I have bought LN and LV and some replacement blades from the forum group buys and dropped in. $60 - $70 will usually give you a
good thick blade, a bit of TLC and a bit elbow grease will give you a fairly good plane. I did this to mine and then as I could afford them upgraded to LV's and LN's.

Originally Posted by Claw Hama

I have bought LN and LV and some replacement blades from the forum group buys and dropped in. $60 - $70 will usually give you a
good thick blade, a bit of TLC and a bit elbow grease will give you a fairly good plane. I did this to mine and then as I could afford them upgraded to LV's and LN's.

What "TLC and elbow grease" did you apply to make yours a little better?

Sounds like filling really adds complication. Need to realistically get a iorn same size as current one. Mine is a new Stanley so I imagine the iorn is not great or as you put it " cheese".

I put a veritas pmv11 blade and cap irin in a Stanley no 7. Works really well and cost not much.

Originally Posted by chook

I put a veritas pmv11 blade and cap irin in a Stanley no 7. Works really well and cost not much.

Cheers mate ,

Does it matter what blade you put in as long as its 60mm wide? I.e can I put in the 60mm fireplace blade sold by Carbatec- 05p23-02?

Do a forum search for plane rehab if you havent already. Depending on how much work you need to do this source is my go to (i like the pictures) Hand Plane Restoration PAGE 1
or alternatively I would try the techniques described at https://home.comcast.net/~rexmill/pl.../planes101.htm

I would recommend the pinnacle blade set at Jim Davey Planes & Sharpening - Product Reviews

Originally Posted by Pac man

I would recommend the pinnacle blade set at Jim Davey Planes & Sharpening - Product Reviews

The blade for the No 7 is just about twice the price of the plane (including quite a long sweetheart blade) I just bought. ) I might get one to replace the record blade in my other No 7 though. Actually the No 80 cabinet scraper needs a blade too. And I really should put the other other No. 7 on the market sometime.

My daughter is muttering about having to get rid of all the tools when I die, and I'm only 50.

Originally Posted by Pac man

I would recommend the pinnacle blade set at Jim Davey Planes & Sharpening - Product Reviews

That's the IBC one I referred to in my previous post. You'd still be looking at filing the mouth to fit that (IIRC they're 3mm thick).

A standard Stanley iron is between 1.95mm & 2.4mm thick (depending upon the era, etc.). Almost all planes will accept an iron up to around 2.6mm thick (without filing). I suggest a Hock iron or a Veritas "Stanley replacement" iron, both of which are around 2.4 - 2.6mm thick. The Veritas irons come with several options: O1 steel, A2 steel, or their new super-doper PM-V11 steel. The Hock irons have a very good reputation, but I think they're a bit more expensive (and very ugly ).

I don't know the Carbatec irons you mention, but they're probably not good quality (or someone would have raved about them). Any 60mm wide iron may fit, but the quality of the iron affects how long it will hold an edge and how sharp you can get the edge.

Cheers, Vann.

If you are new to using handplanes I'd suggest learning to fettle the plane, maybe practise on a flea market cheap #4, get the blade flat and super sharp, the cap iron fitting tight and flat against the blade without distorting it, and flattening the sole.

A budget option for upgrading the blade, cap iron and y-lever if needed is the Quangsheng brand from Workshop Heaven. Quangsheng 2-3/8 inch Plane Iron

These are 3mm thick blades so some adjustment to the mouth may be necessary, but they sharpen and hold an edge very nicely.
I fitted one to a Stanley #3 made in England without much filing of the mouth by putting a secondary bevel of ~35 degrees and a small back bevel ~5-10 degrees.
With a tiny mouth opening and the cap iron moved back a bit it is my go to plane for smoothing cranky grain.

I wouldn't recommend a back bevel on a #7 though, it would make it harder to push.

Welcome to the slippery slope!

Best wishes

Steve

As the guys above have said, I did have to open the throat up in my No4 a little (file it out) but it wasn't much.

Originally Posted by Vann

That's the IBC one I referred to in my previous post. You'd still be looking at filing the mouth to fit that (IIRC they're 3mm thick).

A standard Stanley iron is between 1.95mm & 2.4mm thick (depending upon the era, etc.). Almost all planes will accept an iron up to around 2.6mm thick (without filing). I suggest a Hock iron or a Veritas "Stanley replacement" iron, both of which are around 2.4 - 2.6mm thick. The Veritas irons come with several options: O1 steel, A2 steel, or their new super-doper PM-V11 steel. The Hock irons have a very good reputation, but I think they're a bit more expensive (and very ugly ).

I don't know the Carbatec irons you mention, but they're probably not good quality (or someone would have raved about them). Any 60mm wide iron may fit, but the quality of the iron affects how long it will hold an edge and how sharp you can get the edge.

Cheers, Vann.

Bit of a typo- a Veritas foreplane 60mm blade sold by carbatec... I imagine its not the iron that matters, as long as its the right size, just how its set up.

Other than carbatec, where could I look into getting new Veritas blades?

Also, I will grab a cheapie as suggested from a market and give a little practice a try. Thanks all

Here is some interesting plane info for you:
Video: Hand Plane Essentials with Chris Schwarz | Watch The Woodwrights Shop Online | PBS Video

Originally Posted by hellofellow

Bit of a typo- a Veritas foreplane 60mm blade sold by carbatec... I imagine its not the iron that matters, as long as its the right size, just how its set up.

Other than carbatec, where could I look into getting new Veritas blades?

Direct from Lee Valley. They have absolutely tremendous service. Place your order online and they'll have a quote for shipping options to you within the day - even on a Sunday.

I'm not sure that the slot on a standard Veritas plane iron is the right width - you could contact Lee Valley by e-mail to find out. Those irons are 1/8" (3.175mm) thick, which probably means filing the mouth on your plane. Cost direct from Canada $38.50 USD ($52.50 for PM-V11).

Their 'Stanley replacement' irons are 0.1" (2.54mm) thick. That's thicker than a Stanley iron, but not so thick you might have problems with the yoke or mouth. Cost $36.90 ($45.90 for PM-V11) USD. Stanley/Record Plane Blades made by Veritas® - Lee Valley Tools

HTH.

Cheers, Vann.

Contact Jim Davey. Jim Davey Planes & Sharpening - Home
He'll fix you up.

Cheers,
Virg.